I started this blog in 2011 after surviving a stroke. Since then my focus has changed from recovery and life with teenagers to Movies and Life with Adult Children. The remaining constant is my delusion of Royalty. Thank you for visiting my little realm

April 2, 2012

I have proof I should be drinking more~ and I don't mean water

I
knew there was supposed to be more alcohol in my life and now I have
proof!! While I was checking out Friday (alcohol free mind you) I was
completely shocked when I saw the following magazine cover:

Prevent
Stroke with a Bloody Mary!!

I have
always been more of a Long Island Iced Tea girl but if switching to a Bloody
Mary will lower my risk of a stroke then bring them on.

Of
course I had to buy this magazine to read further. Kudos to the layout team on
this magazine because I rarely buy the rags at the check-out. Well I
should have kept my $1.79 as they horribly mislead me. Ok I'll admit I really
didn't expect them to say that somehow the combination of tomato juice, vodka, lemon
juice, Worcestershire sauce and a celery stick was actually going to
lower my risk of a stroke but I could dream right. Be honest you were hoping a
little bit too.

In her
article Stay stroke-free for life Brenda Kearns does share 5 tips, including a Bloody Mary, that
can help you reduce your risk for a stroke.

Exercise, staying fit over getting slim. University of South Carolina study found just
30 minutes of exercise daily can cut a woman's chances of stroke
20% while losing weight didn't make a difference

Vitamin E Some
research suggests that your chances of having a stroke decreases as much
as 50% if you take 400 IU of Vitamin E. **PLEASE do NOT increase
vitamin E without talking to your doctor as there are conflicting reports
on whether it is helpful or harmful**

Smile University
of Michigan suggests that simply smiling, even if you don't mean it, can
reduce your risk of a stroke by 27%. When you smile it signals your
brain to slow down production of cortisol, a hormone that kick-starts
artery damaging inflammation.

Bloody
Mary To reduce your risk of a stroke
up to 37% have some vodka. Well that’s
not what it really says ~misleading front page headline LWhat
it does say is that women who added one cup of nutrient rich fruit or
vegetables to every meal cut their risk of a stroke as much as 37%. This can also be achieved by drinking a
Bloody Mary or one 8-oz glass of V8 EACH day. According to Canadian research going too
low on your sodium isn’t helpful so drink the regular V8 not the low
sodium alternative. See you should
have had a V8 (Sorry couldn’t resist)

While Ms. Kearns and the Woman’s World did disappoint me by not
endorsing a daily dose of alcohol to prevent strokes the advice given is strong
and substantial. Please always remember
if you suspect someone is having a stroke Speed counts. Be sure to get them to the hospital as
quickly as possible. It is always better
to err on the side of caution:

ActFASTFacial WeaknessArm & Leg WeaknessSpeech ProblemsTime is CriticalIf you answer yes to any of the aboveCALL
911 IMMEDIATELY!

Dean thank you for the link. Alcohol does impact men and women differently. As stated in my blog and Ms. Kearn's article it isn't the alcohol in the Bloody Mary's that would be beneficial but rather the nutrient rich vegetable juice itself. I applaud Women's World for using a front cover blurb as it did to help educate women in ways to prevent strokes. And hopefully my humorous approach will also help educate people as well :)